Three Mobile fault leaves two million customers off message

Ireland's second largest mobile phone network was down for much of Monday, resulting in many of Three Mobile's two million Irish customers experiencing difficulties making calls and sending texts.

The fault also affected Tesco Mobile Ireland customers, who use the same network.

A Three Mobile spokeswoman said the problem was identified and its technical team was working on what she said was an electrical fault. But she could not say when the network would be fully up and running again.

The failure prompted considerable reaction on Twitter, with customers making unfavourable comparisons between Three’s service and that of O2, which it took over last year.

Disrupted service

One tweeted: “Nothing but disrupted service since O2 became 3. Switching to

Vodafone

when contract is up #3ireland #fail #comebackO2.”

The company recently absorbed O2’s customers, making it the second largest operator in the State behind Vodafone.

The company responded on Twitter, stating: “Some customers may be experiencing issues with their service. We’re working on getting this fixed ASAP.”

Tesco Mobile Ireland tweeted: “We are working to have this resolved as soon as possible. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.”

Last July Hutchison Whampoa's mobile subsidiary Three Ireland concluded its €850 million acquisition of O2 Ireland from Telefónica. The Hong Kong-based company bought O2 in the UK last month in a deal worth £10.25 billion (€14 billion), It now has to 33 million customers worldwide.